Beat the Traffic with Nokia’s New Real-Time Traffic Update Service

 UAE drivers can now get there faster and easier using their Nokia smartphone and the newly launched Nokia Maps real time traffic service.

Dubai, 11th August 2011 – Owners of Nokia’s range of smartphones can now be one step ahead of other road users and avoid congestion through the newly launched Nokia Maps real time traffic service, which provides real-time live traffic updates for Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, and comes pre-loaded on all the latest Nokia smartphones. The Nokia Maps traffic service is powered by the NAVTEQ Traffic Pro service from the leading global provider of location content in the form of maps, traffic and places data that enables navigation, location-based services and mobile advertising.

Nokia’s new Nokia Maps traffic service delivers up-to-the-minute traffic information, accurately reflecting real-time conditions on motorways, main and secondary roads. In the UAE, it covers the key metropolitan areas of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. By using the in-built ‘map’ feature on their handsets, Nokia users can see exactly the roads to avoid when on the move and ensure they get to their destination quickly and efficiently.

According to recent studies, drivers using traffic enabled navigation devices experienced dramatic time savings, spending 18% less time driving on an average trip versus drivers without navigation.  If applied over the course of a year, a driver who does not currently use a navigation device would save themselves 4 days of driving each year if they had a traffic-enabled navigation system. Additionally, by using traffic-enabled navigation, these drivers can reduce their CO2 emissions by approximately 20% by avoiding congested routes on their way to their destination.

UAE traffic information is received directly from NAVTEQ, the world leader in mapping & navigation services.  NAVTEQ collects UAE real time traffic information from many sources including fleet companies and approximately 100,000 Nokia Maps users. These users share their actual location & speed information anonymously, generating accurate live traffic information throughout the day. “Nokia’s new traffic update service is what UAE drivers have been demanding for many years and we are delighted to be the first mobile phone manufacturer to be able to offer this essential tool to our customers.

This new service shows our dedication to Nokia’s customers and underlines our drive to offer practical and intelligent benefits and solutions to them,” said Tom Farrell, General Manager, Nokia Lower Gulf. Based on the world’s most diverse traffic collection network, NAVTEQ Traffic Pro aims to provide peerless information so consumers know where and when to drive. NAVTEQ aggregates and analyses data from a vast array of sources, including the world’s largest compilation of both commercial and consumer probe data; the world’s largest fixed proprietary sensor network; event-based data collected from government sources; and billions of historical traffic records.